wlepse Posted October 14, 2011 Report Share Posted October 14, 2011 For those of you that have added HID kits what wattage did you get and why? Are you happy with your choice? Originally I was planning on getting a 9006 35W kit but I am starting to rethink this. My last car I had a 55W kit and I almost never needed the high beams and it provided a ton of light to the side of the road where all the deer and bear were hiding. I had been in other cars where 35W seemed just fine but these were all cars running standard halogen bulbs (H7, 9006 etc). So the light output from the stock bulbs wasn't that great to begin with so a 35W kit was a nice improvement. But with the Edge's 9012 bulb you already have a good bulb with great ouput so I am wondering if 35W does provide more light or if it just changes the color temp so you think there is more. Since I still have my 55W ballasts I may get a 35W kit and try to do a comparison between 9012-9011-35W 9006 and 55W 9006 but as much as I would like to do this I never seem to have the time to pull it all together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang92man Posted January 3, 2012 Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 For those of you that have added HID kits what wattage did you get and why? Are you happy with your choice? Originally I was planning on getting a 9006 35W kit but I am starting to rethink this. My last car I had a 55W kit and I almost never needed the high beams and it provided a ton of light to the side of the road where all the deer and bear were hiding. I had been in other cars where 35W seemed just fine but these were all cars running standard halogen bulbs (H7, 9006 etc). So the light output from the stock bulbs wasn't that great to begin with so a 35W kit was a nice improvement. But with the Edge's 9012 bulb you already have a good bulb with great ouput so I am wondering if 35W does provide more light or if it just changes the color temp so you think there is more. Since I still have my 55W ballasts I may get a 35W kit and try to do a comparison between 9012-9011-35W 9006 and 55W 9006 but as much as I would like to do this I never seem to have the time to pull it all together. A little late to respond as I don't frequent here much because the wife won't really let me touch her car, but I did do a 35w 9012 kit and am pretty happy. If I knew at the time there was 55w kits that were reliable like I do now I probably would have gone that route just for the extra output. The beam cutoff is so sharp on these cars that even with the brighter output I wouldn't be concerned about blinding anyone if adjusted properly. I'm sure it's too late but wanted to try and help anyways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJG Posted January 4, 2012 Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 I didn't get the package that has HID's on our 2012 Limited, but have had HID's on past vehicles. I always thought, that while the light wasn't much brighter, there was just more of it. They did seem to improve night vision. And there is just the "cool" factor as well. However.... our new Edge has pretty good lights....seems to me. If a person wanted a little more, are there stronger Halogen bulbs you can install and be legal? I'm obviously not up on latest lighting technology, but it seems to me halogen technology, and how they are "projected", has also improved vastly over past few years. I'm not insinuating they are on par with good legal HID's, because I'm sure that technology is also improving, but aren't our lights better than some think? And maybe up gradeable fairly cheaply. I don't understand what light wattage means,,,,,if it's a measure of wattage the lights draw, or a measure of the light strength and brightness. And if HID's and halogens are measured the same way, and how much restriction the law has on good HID performance. Sorry to bore you with these musings, I do wish I had got factory HID's, but so far I haven't really missed them. I also rarely drive where the road isn't lighted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Depiry Posted January 5, 2012 Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 (edited) Wattage is what the lamp draws in power Volts x amps = watts,the light source the HID produces because of greater lumens per watt generated by an HID lamp,lumens are the output of a lamp ,more lumens,more light,the efficiencies of the HID's produce create more lumens than incandescent,halogen per watt. Bulb charts will show the different outputs of lamps.HID's are basicaly arc lamps which produce the brightest light ,different gases change the color. Low pressure sodium lamps produce the most lumens per watt,but have a yellow color, High pressure sodium has a good light output and excellent lamp life with a bronze color, metal halide or HID has a lower light output and lesser lamp life,but produces a white light except for gasses to change colors,Marty Edited January 5, 2012 by Depiry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJG Posted January 5, 2012 Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 Thanks for your explanation. Do many states limit the "lumens" a manufacturer can build into their lights? If so.....HID's of the same "Lumens" as halogens would draw less power. But if your aftermarket HID's were a lot brighter.....would you likely be legal? BTW....I'm not overly hung up about bright properly adjusted slightly illegal HID's. My last Mustang (a 2008) had the optional HID headlights. Wonderful lights. Wife's 2005 Mercury Montego that I sold to buy this Edge also had HID's (standard on Premere version), again wonderful lights. But for where I drive, urban, I don't see a great deal of difference in this Edge compared to their lights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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